Reasons to Smile
by FlyingGerbils
Summary: After her sixth year of Hogwarts, Hermione's parents go missing. She then goes through a horrible breakup with Ron. But when she has to stay at the Burrow all summer, who will she turn to?
1. Missing

_A/N: Hi everyone. This is my first fan fiction. Please review! _

_Disclaimer: I'm just putting this in the first chapter, because I have noted that they get rather annoying. I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, I wouldn't be writing stories for free online, with nothing else to do. _

_And on with the show… er… story._

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"Rooooon!" Hermione whined, trying to get him to retrieve the book that Harry had just stolen from her. This led to the red head promptly jumping on the raven-haired boy, tackling him to the ground and swiping the book.

Ron turned to return the book to Hermione, who was sitting in one of the armchairs in the Gryffindor common room. "Here you go, Hermione," Ron said while outstretching the book. But when she went to grab it, he pulled his arm back. "On the second thought," he said, pretending he was pondering something very important, "I think I should get _something_," he winked as he said this, "as a thank you," he finished.

"You mean, besides me not hexing you into oblivion?"

"Or me?" added a very disgruntled Harry as he began to stand up.

Ron ignored Harry and spoke again to the girl in the armchair. "Aw, come on Hermione! I'm your _boyfriend_. I think I deserve at least a kiss."

After Ron said this Hermione stood up and stretched. While all of this had been happening, she had been thinking about her relationship with Ron. They had been dating for a few months now, and she knew he completely adored her, as he was constantly hugging and kissing her, holding her hand, or finding any way to be near her. She knew this, but she wasn't sure why he felt that way. Sure, he said it was because she had a great personality, but she had always had the same personality. He hadn't shown any romantic interest in her until the beginning of sixth year. She had to think that a lot of this was owed to her looks.

She had changed a lot physically over the last summer. Her golden brown hair, although still a bit frizzy, had definitely tamed. A lot. It now reached just below her shoulders, softly curling. Her teeth were white and perfectly straight. Her skin was tan, not as pale as it used to be after she would spend so much time reading in the library, barely ever going outside. She had also begun dressing in a way that showed off her figure and beauty, and she always wore the perfect shades of make up, always accentuating her big chocolate colored eyes. Hermione knew Ron had noticed these things at the start of the year, and she often caught him staring, causing his face to turn redder than the famed Weasley hair.

Another thing about her relationship with Ron was how she felt about him. Ron loved her, but she wasn't sure she felt the same. Yes, she loved him as a brother, but nothing more. Hermione considered breaking it off romantically with him, but she didn't want him to feel bad, nor jeopardize the friendship they shared.

She pushed these thoughts to the back of her head, for now, however, as she walked over to Ron and kissed him quickly on the lips before taking her books and walking towards the portrait hole. But before she could step out, she collided with Ginny who was hurrying in.

"Ouch." Hermione mumbled.

"Sorry!" exclaimed Ginny, not even looking at who she bumped into, obviously distracted. "I was hurrying to find Hermione Granger," Ginny explained, " I have a message from Dumbledore. He says it's urgent."

"Ginny?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, no time to talk, Hermione. As I said, I have to find...oh," Ginny trailed off. "Sorry, Hermione."

"Oh, it's fine. So I have a message from Dumbledore?" Hermione inquired.

"Oh, yeah, right," mumbled Ginny as she handed a folded piece of parchment to her friend. Hermione quickly scanned the note.

_Miss Granger,_

_Please report to my office immediately._

_-Albus Dumbledore_

_P.S. I currently fancy licorice wands._

---------------

Hermione chuckled slightly at the headmaster's last words, knowing that 'licorice wands' was his new password, as she also wondered what he wanted to talk to her about. She walked through the corridors quickly, and soon came to the statue of a gargoyle that served as the entrance to Dumbledore's office. She whispered "Licorice wands" and stepped onto the staircase spiraling upwards.

She knocked on the headmaster's door and it swung open instantly.

"Ah, Miss Granger, come in," said the voice of Albus Dumbledore, As Hermione walked in, she noticed that the headmaster's eyes, usually kindly twinkling, instead looked a bit said and tired. She knew instantly that his was not going to be good news.

"What did you want to speak to me about, Professor?" Hermione asked apprehensively, and Dumbledore noticed the worry in her voice and eyes.

"Miss Granger, please take a seat," he motioned to the chair in front of his desk. "Now, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. Earlier this morning, your parents were reported missing. Muggle police as well as some Order members are searching, but have yet to find any evidence as to their whereabouts. However, though we have no solid proof, we believe this could be the work of Deatheaters." He watched her face slowly slip. It slipped into a look of complete sadness and despair. Her eyes became shiny, and tears began falling.

Dumbledore walked over to where the now sobbing girl sat and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Hermione. There is still a large chance that your parents are indeed alive."

Hermione looked up and Dumbledore gave her a weak smile, trying to cheer her up a bit. She still, however, continued to sob, and the headmaster could hear some of her muffled words through the tears. "Why? Why! They... don't deserve... they didn't... do... anything!" After a few more minutes of sobs, Hermione started to worry. She had no place to go. Tomorrow would be the last day before summer holiday. 'Where will I live?' she thought.

As if reading her mind, the headmaster began speaking again. "Regarding your living arrangements, I have already spoken to Molly Weasley, and she will be taking you in for summer holiday." He paused and Hermione silently nodded. "I have made arrangements for George... wait Fred... no, I was right the first time, I believe. I have arranged for George Weasley to pick you up tomorrow, as I am sure you would want to leave as soon as possible right now." Again, he paused as Hermione nodded.

"Do any of my friends know?" Hermione questioned suddenly.

"They are finding out as we speak. I assumed you didn't want to have to tell everyone."

"Yes," said Hermione. "When will George be," she sniffed in the middle of her sentence, "picking me up?"

"Ah yes, he will be here tomorrow at eleven in the morning. Enough time for you to get packed, eat breakfast, and do whatever else you find necessary. Do you have any more questions, Hermione?"

She looked up into his eyes for a moment and thought. "No, not right now."

"Very well then. I want you to know that I'm very sorry that you have to go through this and I truly hope they find your parents soon." The wise wizard said, adding soon instead of alive, not wanting to further upset the girl.

"Thank you for everything, sir," Hermione sighed.

-------------------

She walked back through the corridors as though in a trance. She didn't think about where she was going; she just went. Next thing she knew, she was walking back and forth three times in a hall, thinking about wanting to be with her parents. The witch stepped into the room that had just appeared. The Room of Requirements.

The room had pillows and cushions on the floor for seating. As Hermione walked in, this was the first thing she noticed. But then she saw them. There were tons of pictures in the room. They were all photos of her and her parents. The girl walked around the room, looking at each and every one of the pictures. While she did this she had tears streaming down her face.

When she finally decided she should go back to the common room, she had collected three pictures that were in frames from the room to take with her. She got to the portrait and spoke the password, hoping she could sneak in without anyone noticing and then go straight to bed. But this wasn't the case. She entered the common room and got bombarded with hugs and "I'm so sorry"'s from Ginny, Harry, and Ron.


	2. Something like that

_A/N: Wow. I got two reviews already. That's two more than I expected. This chapter is a little shorter than the first, but the next one should be longer. Enjoy._

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Hermione sat on the edge of her bed with the curtains drawn, staring out the window. Thoughts were zooming through her head at alarming speed.

'_Where are my parents?'_

'_Why did they have to disappear?'_

'_I hope they're safe'_

'_I have to break it off with Ron. Today.'_

That thought startled her, but she knew it was true. With her parents gone, having a relationship while worrying about hurting Ron's feelings was just too much.

------

"Could you pass the pumpkin juice, please?" Hermione asked Ron, not meeting his eyes. They were the only two at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall for breakfast, as it was still rather early in the morning.

"Yea, here," Ron handed her the drink. "How are you feeling today?"

"Still pretty bad," she replied, still not looking at him. "But, Ron, listen, I have to talk to you about something."

"Okay, you know you can tell me anything," he tried comforting his girlfriend, smiling and placing his hand over hers. But much to Ron's surprise, she pulled her hand back.

"Look, Ron, I was thinking a lot last night and though that it would be best if we were, you know, just friends," she said, trying to be as kind as she could.

"I- you- what?" Ron stammered. Hermione could hear the heartbreak, mixed with confusion, in his voice. "Hermione, I know that you're going through a tough time right now, what with your parents and all, but…" he paused. "I love you, Hermione."

"Ron, please, just-" she clearly was trying to avoid eye contact now.

"But you don't feel the same. Do you?" He interrupted her. "Then why'd you say yes to me, Hermione! Just for a snog every now and then!" Ron yelled.

"Ron, I-" but he just stormed off, leaving her with tears that began slowly falling.

It was at this time that a Weasley twin entered the Great Hall, looking slightly bewildered at the fact that his younger brother had just ran out, looking furious but also on the verge of tears. He spotted a girl with a large mass of brown curls bent over the Gryffindor table, keeping her face in her hands. The Weasley walked over to Hermione, placing a hand on her shoulder before sitting next to her.

She looked up. "Fred!" she asked suddenly.

"How could you tell it was me? My own mum can't tell the difference between us!"

Hermione blushed slightly. "I don't know. I suppose I can just tell. But, wait a minute. I thought George was supposed to be picking me up…" She trailed off, leaving the statement as a question, while for some reason that she did not know, she was secretly happier that Fred was here instead of his twin.

"Hw was. But he's been pretty busy lately. He just moved in with Katie, and they're going to be married soon. Did you know that?" She shook her head. "Well," he continued, "with all of that, plus the added stress of the joke shop, I came instead. To give him a bit of a break, you know?"

Hermione nodded this time. "That was really thoughtful of you, Fred." _'Did he just blush when I said that?'_ Hermione thought. _'No, I must have been imagining it.'_

"Oh! I wanted to ask you about Ron. He ran past me as I walked in and he looked furious, but sad. Do you know what was up with him?" Fred asked curiously, as he helped himself to some eggs and pancakes.

"We just had a bit of a row, that's all."

"A _bit_ of a row?" Fred questioned. "What about? If you don't mind me asking."

"Oh, nothing important really," Hermione replied, avoiding eye contact with yet another person during breakfast.

"You're a bad liar."

She glanced at him and he smirked. "We…uh… well… I broke it off with him." She explained.

"Ah. I see. Sorry."

"Don't be."

Secretly, he wasn't. He had figured they wouldn't last too long. Hermione was too good for his brother. "I suppose he didn't take it so well?"

"Something like that," she smiled at him.

--------

"Oi, Forge!"

"Hey, Harry. I'm Fred." The twin replied, glancing up from the space on the wall he was staring at. He was sitting on one of the huge red couches in the Gryffindor common room, waiting for Hermione to come down with her trunks.

"So how's it going?" Harry asked. "I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Yeah, it has been awhile. But life's been good. How have you been?"

"Fine," the conversation carried on this for about five minutes; both asking standard small talk questions back and forth. They were interrupted, however, when they heard yelling coming from the stairs leading to the dormitories.

"I don't want to talk about this right now!" they heard a female voice yell.

"Well I do!" they heard a male voice respond. "How could you treat me like that! You lied to me!"

"Look, I-"

"Don't even give me your 'I didn't want to hurt you' reasons," he imitated a high-pitched voice. "I know your reasons! You just wanted a snog, you filthy little mudblood!" Ron's eyes bugged out as he realized what he had just said.

Fred and Harry glanced at each other for a moment, but shot their gaze back to the area where the sound was coming from after they heard a loud slapping noise. Hermione soon emerged into the common room, face red from yelling, but eyes shiny, as though she was about to cry.

The Weasley that had not done the yelling stood and walked over to Hermione. Without a second though, he hugged her. "It'll be okay," he whispered in her ear. And something in his voice made her believe him


	3. Cheering up

_A/N: Thanks to everyone who's reviewed! I have a few things I need to address. _**1) **_Updates might be a bit less frequent after this one. My home computer broke, so I can only update if my mum brings home her laptop, or I go to my dad's. But I assure you, they won't be too far apart, only a few days at the most. _**2)** _Well, I really only needed to address one thing… oh well. I suppose I can put a disclaimer in this one, since I'm not being too lazy. I still don't own Harry Potter. So don't sue me. Because you won't get any money, because I have a lack of it._

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"You can apparate, right?" Fred asked Hermione as they walked through the entrance gates of Hogwarts, leaving the grounds.

"Yep. I passed my test the first time I took it, too."

"That doesn't surprise me." Fred said honestly. "Okay, we'll be apparating to my flat above the joke shop." She nodded, grabbed her trunk and landed with a -pop- in the living room of the apartment above Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Moments later Fred landed next to her with an identical -pop-.

"Why didn't we just apparate to the Burrow?" Hermione questioned.

"I was looking out for you," he replied. "Think about how Mum will be once you get to the Burrow." Although it sounded mean, and though she loved Mrs. Weasley, her son had a point. The woman would end up suffocating her by way of bear hugs, or cause her to become immensely overweight by feeding her constantly and not allowing her to do anything but relax.

"Besides, I decided I would use today to help cheer you up," he smiled. "Then you can stay here tonight and sleep in George's old bed. Is that okay with you? Because if it's not, you can go to the Burrow if you want to. I mean, it's not like I'm forcing y–"

"Fred! Stop rambling! Of course I'll stay here tonight." Hermione interrupted.

"Sorry." He blushed. She was _positive_ he blushed this time. "Well then, let's put your trunk in the bedroom," he said while opening a door to their left.

Hermione glanced in and saw two twin beds pushed up against the wall opposite the door. They were separated by two night stands. "This," he pointed to the bed on the right, "will be yours." The girl nodded, noticing the small vase of flowers on the nightstand next to it. Daisies. Her favorite.

The Weasley set down her trunk and turned to her. "And now, we're off!" But before Hermione could ask what he meant, he grabbed her arm and they landed with a -pop- outside of the Three Broomsticks. Fred dragged the girl inside and sat her in a booth. "Two butterbeers, please!" he called out to Rosmerta, who gave a nod.

"Fred, what are we doing in Hogsmead?" Hermione asked, trying to sound as though it was irresponsible, but she was smiling and looked excited.

"Why, cheering you up of course!" He exclaimed with a smirk as a waitress brought over their butterbeers. "And obviously," he said, noticing the grin on Hermione's face, "it's working."

-------

"Now where are we going?" Hermione asked as Fred led her down the road in Hogsmead.

"Right here," he said as he pulled her into a new shop.

"The Literature Lounge!" Hermione squealed, getting more excited than any normal person would. She wandered around the store, pulling certain books off the shelves and examining them.

While she was enthusiastically looking at the books, Fred followed behind. _'Merlin, she's wonderful. She's smart, funny, sensitive but can stand up for herself, not to mention beautiful. Wait! Did I just think that about Hermione Granger! She's one of my brother's best mates and his ex! She is gorgeous though… NO! Stop it Fred! Fred! Fred! What the…'_ He looked up to see Hermione waving her hands in front of his face.

"Fred! Fred!" She brought him out of his thoughts.

"Oh, sorry Hermione, what do you need?"

"I found a book that I want, but then I realized that I didn't have any money, so –"

"Don't be silly!" He interrupted. "The book's on me! And yes, Hermione, I'm sure," he added when the girl opened her mouth. "What book did you pick out?"

"It's a muggle play called 'Romeo and Juliet'," she explained. He looked confused, so she briefly summarized it for him. "It's about two young lovers who's families hate each other, so they have to meet in secret."

"Right." 'That sounds a bit familiar.' The Weasley thought. 'No it doesn't! Hermione doesn't fancy me. I wish she did. No I don't!' he argued with himself before he snapped back to reality.

----

The rest of the afternoon flew by quickly, with the pair stepping in various stores to buy a few items, and then stopping back at the Three Broomsticks for dinner. When they finally apparated back to the flat, they were both exhausted.

"I'm going to get changed into some pajamas," Hermione said as she grabbed some clothes from her trunk and walked into the bathroom. She came back into the bedroom wearing a pair of black shorts and a light green tank top. She blushed when she saw Fred getting into bed wearing nothing but a pair of flannel pajama bottoms. _'Merlin, he's great. He's smart, funny (of course), but he's also really nice and caring, not to mention good looking. Wait! Did I just think that about George Weasley! He's one of my best mate's (and ex's) brother's! He is handsome though. No! Stop it Hermione!'_ She climbed into bed and turned off the lamp on her nightstand. "Goodnight, Fred," she whispered.

"Night, 'Mione." Did he just call her 'Mione? She liked that nickname.

"Hey Fred," Hermione whispered a few minutes later.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"Everything. For today, for my book, for making me feel good. Everything." She said.

Fred turned onto his side and propped his head on his hand. "It was no problem, Hermione. You deserved it."

She propped her head up the same way. "Either way, thanks. So how's life been going for you? Are you still seeing Angelina?" She asked, hoping he would say no to the last question.

"Nah. She broke it off with me about a month ago. Found some famous quidditch star," he answered.

Hermione hoped he couldn't see her smile. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I loved her more as a sister anyway, know what I mean?"

"I know exactly what you mean. That's one of the main reasons I broke it off with Ron. I just didn't love him the way he loved me."

"That explains the yelling of 'Why'd you say yes' I suppose. But, if you don't mind me asking, why did you say yes?" Fred questioned.

"I didn't want to hurt his feelings. And everyone was always pressuring me. They said we were the 'perfect couple' or 'meant for each other'. Everyone always assumed we'd end up together." It was true. People said that to them all the time, even before they started dating.

"I see. He sure was acting like a royal git about it though."

"Yea, but you know Ron. He overreacts to everything."

"True," Fred said through a yawn. Hermione yawned immediately after him.

"We should probably be going to sleep. Night, Fred."

"Goodnight, 'Mione."


	4. Welcome to the Burrow

_A/N: Hello all! First of all, thanks to everyone who's reviewed. They make me feel all special inside. Second, sorry for the small delay on this chapter. Thirdly, I'm trying to decide whether or not I should have Fred and Hermione get together earlier or later in the story. If you guys have any opinions, let me know! Fourthly (that doesn't sound like a real word. But anyway…), if you guys notice any mistakes, let me know. I'm not exactly the most skilled person when it comes to accuracy. _

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"Morning, Fred," Hermione said through a yawn as she rubbed her eyes and walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Hermione." Fred looked up from the article he was reading in the Daily Prophet. "Are you hungry?" he asked as he motioned for her to sit at the table.

"Yeah, a little bit," the girl replied as she sat down.

"Good."

Hermione was about to ask what was so good about being hungry when she noticed the stove. Various types of breakfast foods were cooking; enough to feed the whole Weasley family. And have leftovers. "Fred, you didn't have to make all of this," she said, eying the pancakes, waffles, bacon, eggs, sausage, and muffins.

"I didn't know what you wanted. And besides, you seem to be forgetting who my mum is. Whatever we don't eat we can take to the Burrow for everyone," Fred explained. "Mum will be so pleased, maybe she'll forgive me…" he added.

"Forgive you? For what?"

"Just don't eat the muffins." She raised an eyebrow skeptically at him.

"I will choose not to further inquire about that statement."

"Good idea. So how did you sleep?" He asked, looking like he truly cared.

"Rather well, thanks. A few nightmares, but those aren't so special anymore, what with Voldemort being back and all," Hermione watched to see if he would flinch when she said his name, but was glad when he didn't. "How about you?"

"Oh, I slept fine. Good dreams, no nightmares, thankfully," he didn't dare add that he had dreamt about her.

"About the Burrow," she began, getting a plate from the cabinets, "when will we be going over there?" she added waffles to the plate.

"In," Fred looked at the watch on his wrist and it read 7 am, "two hours exactly."

"Oh, ok," she sounded nervous as she added eggs to her plate.

"Why are you nervous about going to the Burrow? You've been there plenty of times." The Weasley asked, until he realized…

"Ron." Hermione answered.

'_Of course she's nervous about going to the Burrow, you git! She just broke up with Ron, and now she has to spend the whole summer with him.'_ "Oh, yeah. Sorry, I forgot." He apologized. "But I don't think you should worry about him. He's got enough sense to at least act decent around you, especially since you are spending the whole summer there."

"I suppose. It's just…" she began trailing off, but then finished her thought, "he really hurt me, with what he said and all."

"Hermione, don't think anything of what he said to you. Ron was just upset. We both know what he said wasn't true."

They sat in silence for awhile; Hermione eating her waffles and eggs, Fred just sitting there, glancing at the Daily Prophet occasionally. "What if they hate me?" Hermione broke the silence.

"What if who hates you? My family?" the girl nodded. "Hermione, they won't hate you! They loved you before you started dating Ron, and they will now," he told her. "Don't worry about it."

"If you say so…"

--- ---

"Ron, you better be nice to her. Or at least act civil, otherwise this summer will be horrible for everyone," Ginny warned her brother. They were seated in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express along with Harry, Luna and Neville.

"You can't possibly be siding with her on this! You're _my_ sister!" Ron yelled.

"I'm not _siding_ with anyone. I just think you should try to get along."

"_She_ broke up with _me_. If she wanted to get along, perhaps she shouldn't have done that."

Ginny stood up and stormed out of the compartment in frustration. _'How can he be so stupid!' _ Luna followed her friend out.

Ron glared at their backs as they walked out then turned to Harry, who was glaring daggers at him. "Aw, come on Harry! You're not taking Hermione's side, are you?"

"Ron, this isn't a matter of taking sides. This is a matter of you acting like a total prat. I heard you guys yelling yesterday. You acted no better than Malfoy." Before Ron could get in another word, Harry stormed out after Ginny and Luna. The remaining Weasley looked over to Neville, who was standing up.

"Not you too, Neville!"

"They're right, Ron," he said before walking out of the compartment and following Harry.

--- --- -

"Hermione!" Mrs. Weasley engulfed the girl in a giant bear hug.

"It's nice to see you too, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione managed to say, though her breathing was limited. _'Yes, definitely death by suffocation...' _

Molly let the girl go for a moment. "I'm very sorry about your parents, dear," she gave her a sympathetic look and hugged her again.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley."

"Um, Mum," Fred interrupted, seeing Hermione struggling for breath, "perhaps we should show Hermione where she will be sleeping?"

Mrs. Weasley let the girl go again, "Yes, of course, this way, dear," the lady began walking up the stairs. Hermione shot Fred a look that said 'thank you' and followed.

"You'll be staying in George's old room," the woman said as she walked in the door.

"Okay, great," said Hermione, setting her trunk on the floor, next to the bed.

"Now, you can unpack, or come with me to pick up Ron, Ginny, and Harry from the station."

"If you don't mind, I think I'll stay here and unpack. Maybe catch up on some reading," Hermione said, with a distant look in her eyes.

"Well of course I don't mind. Make yourself at home!" And with that, Mrs. Weasley walked out of the room.

That's when it hit Hermione. _'This is home now, isn't it? My parents are gone. I may never get to see them again. They could be... dead. What if they're dead! Why...'_ She sat on the bed and cried.

--- --- ---

Fred stood in his old room, which adjoined with his twin's old room, when he heard sniffling. He cracked open the door that led to George's room and saw Hermione sitting on the bed, facing away from him. He knew she was crying. The Weasley opened the door quietly and walked in.

"Hermione?" he spoke softly. So softly, it surprised her.

"Hi Fred," she sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I was just unpacking," she said, trying to act as though she wasn't crying.

"Hermione," Fred began.

"I'm fine, Fred, honest," she cut him off.

"Hermione, no you're not." She was taken aback by his bluntness. Whenever she told Harry or Ron she was fine, they just shrugged it off and went back to whatever they were doing. "You're going through a tough time right now. You're not fine, we both know it." He said.

"I just…" she turned around, and Fred saw her puffy eyes and running make-up. He stepped towards her, and she towards him. He hugged her tightly, like he had the day before, except this time, they both felt something; a spark, or shiver, running through their bodies. "I don't know what to do, Fred," she sobbed into his shoulder. "I might not see them again. They could be dead. I don't know…"

"Shh… Hermione… it's okay. I wish I knew what to say to make you feel better. But honestly, I don't know if there is anything. I want you to know that I'm always there for you, okay? You know that right?" She nodded. "You can talk to me anytime you want to." He pulled back a bit so he could look into her eyes. He pulled his hand up and with his thumb wiped away the tears under her eye. He kissed her forehead, and then held her by the shoulders. "Now what do you say you finish unpacking and we go plant those muffins in the kitchen?" She gave him a weak smile and nodded.

"Okay."


	5. Muffins

_A/N: Sorry my updates haven't been exactly regular. I haven't had much access to a computer. I hate the beginning of this chapter, I almost didn't add it. But I figured that I may as well. _

_Oh. I don't own Harry Potter, just incase you forgot. And, another thing, just incase you hadn't noticed, this isn't HBP friendly. _

_--- --- --- ---_

"Hermione?" A voice yelled up the stairs.

Hermione looked up from Romeo and Juliet, which she had been reading intently for the last hour, sitting at the desk in George's old room. _'Guess everyone's back. This should be interesting,'_ she thought to herself. "I'm coming down, Ginny! Hang on a second!"

"Hey look! Muffins!" the witch heard Ron exclaim as she set down her book. She chuckled silently to herself, knowing full well what those muffins contained.

The girl walked down the stairs and entered the kitchen. She looked at Ron and then glared. _'Lavender! He turned into bloody Lavender! After giving me all that rubbage about him loving **me **he turns into **Lavender**!' _

"Hi Harry, Ginny!" the two that were greeted just looked at her dumbfounded, confused by Ron's new appearance. "Ron." She glanced at him, looking him up and down.

_Flashback_

"_They do what!" _

"_When someone eats one of these muffins, they turn into the person they fancy, fully unaware of the change. A development on our canary creams, I've been working on them for ages!" Fred explained._

"_Fred Weasley, if you dare even think of giving me one of these!" Hermione began to yell at him._

"_Woah, Hermione, I wouldn't dream of it," he said with a smirk. She glared at him._

"_This could turn out to be interesting, however..." she said, smirking right back at him._

_End Flashback_

"Hermione, what's going on? Why is there two of me?" Ginny asked.

"Two of you? Why are there two of me? And why did my brother just turn into Lavender?" Harry questioned, causing Ron to look very bewildered.

This time it was Hermione's turn to look perplexed. Why was Harry calling Ron his brother? And why were both Harry and Ginny claiming there were two of them? "Wait a minute," it dawned on her, "did you guys all eat the muffins?" The three nodded. Hermione doubled over in hysterical laughter. The three just stared at her, more confused than ever.

"Um, Hermione, what's so funny?" Fred questioned as he walked into the kitchen.

She looked up at him. "They all… ate… the muffins!" she managed through giggles.

"What? But Harry and Ginny are… oh." He understood, and began laughing uncontrollably. He stopped, however, when he noticed Lavender standing in the middle of the kitchen. "Wait, what's Lav- Ron!" the Weasley twin had stopped laughing altogether and his face was now growing red from anger. _'He turned into bloody Lavender! After he had Hermione feeling so bad? I will kill him!' _ Fred clenched his fists.

Hermione stopped laughing when she saw Fred tense. His face was growing red, and his knuckles were turning white, he was clenching them so hard. "Fred, don't," she whispered.

"Hermione!" he yelled in response. "He made you feel like absolute crap, he called you a mudblood! And he got over you that fast! He turned into Lavender! He fancies her! That quickly!" Fred quickly realized what he had said had been rather harsh, but it was true.

"That may be, Fred! But that doesn't mean you have to do anything rash!" She hissed back.

"Wait a minute!" Ginny interrupted. "Those muffins, they turn you into whoever you fancy?" she looked mortified, almost as mortified as Harry.

"Yes, Ginny." Hermione replied.

"FRED WEASLEY!" his sister and Harry both yelled.

"What?" he asked innocently, momentarily leaving the argument he and Hermione were having. "Incase you guys haven't noticed, you both turned into each other," he said, turning back to Hermione and Ron who still looked like Lavender, leaving them to blush.

"Hang on," Ginny interrupted again.

"What, Ginny?" Hermione asked a bit impatiently.

"Why did Ron turn into Lavender?"

Everyone turned to Ron, who had just turned back to himself, and watched as Ginny and Harry did the same. "Good, now when I pummel you, I won't have to feel bad for hitting Lavender," Fred threatened.

"Now… I… don't…" Ron stuttered, obviously scared of his older brother, who had a good five or six inches on him.

"Fred, wait," Hermione stepped in front of the younger of the two Weasley boys in the kitchen. "Don't hurt him. He has every right to like other people. We're not together anymore," she said, keeping a surprisingly calm demeanor.

"But Hermione, he-,"

"Fred!" the girl cut him off. She gave him a look to say that they would talk about Ron later. The twin glared at his brother and walked out of the Burrow.

--- --- ---

"Hermione, you look much to skinny! Make sure to take extra helpings," Mrs. Weasley said, eyeing the girl worriedly. "You too, Harry," she added.

By the end of dinner, Ginny, Harry, Hermione, and Ron all looked as though they were going to be sick. Mrs. Weasley kept forcing to take fourths and fifths on many of the dishes she prepared, muttering things about Hogwarts slacking off on their food this year.

'_Perhaps death by exploding...' _Hermione thought to herself as she stood. "Is there anything I can do to help? Perhaps the dishes?" she asked.

"My goodness, no! You're a guest! And after all you've been through recently! Why don't you just relax?" the woman replied, leaving the last statement as an order, rather than a question.

'_Well there we go! She's used all the ways to kill me in one day.' _the witch thought to herself again. She looked outside and noticed that the sun was about to set and remembered from past summers that it was really pretty to watch the sun set by the lake outside. Hermione slipped outside, hoping that no one noticed that she had left.

She took a seat beside a tree on the lakes edge, watching as the oranges, pinks, purples, blues and every color in between were reflected into the water. The girl was lost in her thoughts when she felt someone sit beside her.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Hermione recognized the voice instantly.

"Yeah, it is," she replied.

"Why didn't you let me do anything to Ron today?" the person who sat down asked.

"Fred, violence isn't always the answer. And besides, there was no point."

"What do you mean, there was no point?" he asked, not raising his voice, but still showing his lack of understanding and slight anger.

"Ron doesn't have to like me. We're no longer dating. And couldn't let you guys hurt him for fancying someone else, if I do too." Hermione replied, mentally shouting at herself. _'Great! Now he's going to ask who it is!' _

"That may be, but he still… wait! You like someone else? Who?" Fred asked. _'I wish it was me.'_ he wanted to add.

"You'd laugh."

"Me? Laugh? I never laugh!"

"Ha ha," she said unenthusiastically. "Anyways, it doesn't matter, because he doesn't like me that way."

"Any guy you fancied would be stupid if he didn't like you! And if I'm wrong, then I'm… crazy!" Fred exclaimed.

"See, Fred, that's the thing. You are crazy."

"Fine. If I'm wrong, then I'm not crazy." He corrected himself.

"You're also stupid," Hermione muttered to herself.

"What was that?" Fred insides jumped. He had heard, but thought maybe it was his imagination.

'_Shoot! I said that out loud!' _she mentally kicked herself. "Oh, um… nothing…"

Hermione noticed that the sun had set completely now, and remembered that she hadn't told anyone she had gone outside. They would probably start a search party pretty soon. "Well, Fred, it's getting late," she said as she stood. "I should probably go back to the Burrow." He stood next to her. "Goodnight," she added as she turned.

He caught her arm and turned her around, pulling her near him. She didn't have time to think about what he had just done, however, because right after that, he put his lips against hers. _'Oh Merlin! He's kissing me!'_ she thought as she kissed him back.

After they both pulled away, he whispered in her ear, causing shivers to run through her voice. "You should probably head back," he paused, then added, "Goodnight, Mione."

"Night, Fred," she managed to say, as she turned and began to walk to the Burrow.


	6. Snogging and Letters

_A/N: Thank you to everyone who's reviewed! Please keep it up! I'm sorry for the irregular updates... I haven't had access to a computer very much. And I still don't own Harry Potter, though. I wish I did. That would be very nice. Very nice indeed._

_--- --- --- _

"Where were you?" the youngest Weasley questioned Hermione as she walked into her bedroom. She and Ginny had become best friends (because as much as she loved Harry and Ron (though she was not very happy with the latter at the moment), having a girl to talk to was necessary, and also something she enjoyed), so Hermione was not surprised to find the girl sitting on George's old bed, waiting to interrogate her.

"I went outside and watched the sun set by the lake," she replied. _'With your brother. Whom I ended up snogging. Oh no, not Ron, the one I was dating before I broke up with him yesterday. I was snogging with Fred.'_ she mentally added.

"By yourself?" Ginny asked suspiciously, knowing there was more to the story than what Hermione was telling her. The girl had come in a good fifteen minutes after the sun had set. Aside from that, Hermione really was a bad liar.

Hermione sighed and realized that Ginny wouldn't give up until she told her the whole truth. She muttered a silencing charm, knowing that the Weasley boys tended to be very nosy, and also that her use of underage magic could not be tracked in a wizarding home. "Ginny, if I tell you what happened, you can't tell anyone. Understand?" Ginny nodded. "Not even Harry," Hermione added. "Don't think I haven't noticed the looks you two have been giving each other!" Ginny blushed.

"I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"Okay. Well, um, see..." where was she supposed to begin?

"Spit it out, Hermione!" the red-head said, not exactly impatiently, but not entirely joking either.

"Right. Well…" she went on to tell Ginny of everything that happened. But when she got to the part where Fred kissed her, the Weasley girl let out a shriek.

"He didn't! That is so romantic!" Ginny said, reaching an epitome of girly-ness. Her face suddenly grew serious however, when she remembered something. "But what about…"

Hermione's eyes grew wide. "Ron," they both muttered at the same time.

--- --- ---

Fred apparated back to his flat after he watched Hermione walk back to the Burrow, still not quite believing that he had kissed her. _'She kissed me back,'_ he thought to himself, causing a huge grin to appear on his face.

"Hello twin of mine. Why so happy?"

Fred jumped back a bit when his thoughts were interrupted by an unexpected voice. "Hey George. What're you doing here?"

George brought his hands to his heart and got a pained look on his face. "That hurts, little brother." He was older by three minutes, and would not let Fred forget it. "Can I not come and check in on you occasionally?"

Fred just stared at his brother. "Whatever. How's Katie doing?"

"She's fine," George replied. "But I want to know why you're coming back so late, with such a big grin on your face. A hot date perhaps?"

"No, not a hot date!" Fred said a bit too quickly.

"So you were definitely with a girl then?" Fred remained silent. "That's what I thought. So who was it?"

"Did you know that Ron and Hermione broke up?" Fred said suddenly. _'Why the bloody hell did I just say that! Great...'_

"Did they really?" a smirk appeared on George's face. "That of course wouldn't have anything to do with your grin and lateness tonight, would it?"

"George, I swear…"

"Don't worry, Fred, I won't tell anyone about your little crush on Hermione. Besides, it's not like you guys snogged or something." Fred looked down at the ground. "Wait, you guys…" George trailed off as Fred nodded. "But what about…"

Fred's eyes grew wide as he remembered. "Ron," they both muttered.

--- --- ---

Hermione walked into the kitchen for breakfast. It was still rather early in the morning, so she was not surprised that only one other person was in the room. Unfortunately, that person was Ron. Even Mrs. Weasley appeared to have left after making breakfast. She was about to turn around and go back upstairs, maybe to come back later when more people were awake, when she stopped herself. _'Ugh. I will not have him ruin my summer.'_ She thought as she sat across from him.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, each piling their plates with the food Mrs. Weasley had cooked. Hermione stared at her plate, pushing around some scrambled eggs, when Ron spoke. "Hermione?" she looked up at him.

"What?"

"Imreallysorryabouteverythingandhowiactedyesterday." He said too quickly for comprehension.

"Ronald, if you wish for me to understand what you are saying, speak audibly please," Hermione said, obviously still angry with him.

"Sorry," he said as he blushed, though he looked a bit hurt at the coldness of her words. "I'm really sorry about everything, Hermione. Calling you what I did,"

"I believe it was along the lines of 'filthy little mudblood'" she interjected.

"And that was horrible of me! I was angry… and hurt. But you know I don't really think that about you, right? Hermione, you're my best friend and you were that before my girlfriend. So I was hoping that we could still be, you know, friends?"

Hermione looked at him, searching to see if everything he was saying was true. She quickly came to a conclusion. It was. "It's okay Ron. And I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings. And of course we're still friends." Ron breathed a sigh of relief. "However," she continued, "if you ever act that way towards me again, I will feel no remorse about hexing you to a bloody pulp."

Ron's eyes widened, horrified. "Right. I swear I'll never act like that again. I know what you're capable of." She smiled.

"I'm glad that we're okay again, Ron. But now I'm going to go upstairs and get ready for the day," she said as she stood.

"Okay, she ya later," he replied, mouth full of food.

Hermione began walking up the steps when she saw them. "Ahem." She coughed.

Harry and Ginny, who had been snogging in the middle of the stairs, broke apart, blushing. They had obviously assumed that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had left and that Hermione and Ron were eating breakfast. "Uh, good morning, Hermione," Ginny said, still blushing as red as her hair.

"Yea, 'Morning Hermione," Harry said, chuckling slightly.

"Good morning," the girl said, grinning and fighting back giggles. She _knew_ there was something going on between them. They all stood there for a second, awkwardly. "Well, I'll just be going up…" Hermione pointed to her room.

"Yea… er, right. And we'll just be going down…" he pointed to the kitchen.

"Right," and they all walked to their designated areas.

--- --- ---

_1 week later_

Hermione sat at George's old desk, bored, with nothing to do. George had stopped by today, and Harry, Ron, and Ginny had all gone out to play quidditch with him. They had asked Hermione to join, but she absolutely detested flying, so she stayed behind. She stared out the window and found her thoughts drifting to Fred. She hadn't seen him since that night at the lake, and wanted to talk to him. _'Of course! I'll write him!'_

_Dear Fred,_

_How have you been? Summer at the Burrow so far has been uneventful, really. Ron and I are friends again. And a week ago I walked in on Harry and Ginny snogging! I always figured they would end up together. _

_But now, boredom has set in. George came over today, so he and everyone else are outside playing quidditch, while I'm in here with nothing to do. I finished 'Romeo and Juliet', by the way. Would you like to borrow it?_

_-Hermione_

Hermione rolled up the parchment and attached it to her owl, Smudge, and watched as she flew away. She was surprised when an hour later, she received a reply.

_Hermione,_

_I'm glad to here about you and Ron. And I'm not at all surprised by Harry and Ginny. Are they officially a couple yet? If not, I give it five minutes, tops, until that happens._

_The shop is closing early today, at four. Would you like to meet me at the Three Broomsticks at 4:30 for a butterbeer? Since you are so bored and all... _

_-Fred_

Hermione grinned before scribbling a quick reply of '_Sure! See you then! –Hermione'_ and sending Smudge with the note. She glanced at the clock on the wall. 3:45.


	7. Surprise

_A/N: I'm sooo sorry about my lack of updating. My mum hasn't been bringing her laptop home. And school started on Monday, so I haven't had much time anyways. But here I am now. Along with a chapter. Yay! This is me :(. I am upset because I don't own Harry Potter._

_I don't know what color Fred's eyes are, so I just guessed blue. Sorry if I'm wrong!_

_--- --- --- _

Hermione searched through her clothes for something to wear, glancing at the clock occasionally. _'Why am I so nervous? It's not like he came right out and said it was a date. Maybe we're just hanging out as friends?'_ she thought as she decided on an outfit. _'I don't even know if we're staying at the Three Broomsticks or going somewhere else!'_ she applied a bit of make-up and cast a glamour charm on her hair, taming it a bit.

She was about to leave when she realized she had to let someone know where she was going. "Ginny!" Hermione called as she ran outside to the quidditch field.

The red-haired girl signaled for a time out and flew down to meet her friend. "What do you need, Hermione?" she asked as the boys landed behind her.

Hermione pulled Ginny away from the guys, so they were out of earshot. She didn't even noticed George apparate away. "I'm going to meet Fred at the Three Broomsticks," she explained, "so could you please tell your mum an excuse if she starts asking questions?"

Ginny was the master of excuses. The Weasley nodded, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Going on a date with my brother, are we?" Ginny teased.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. He didn't really specify." Was there a hint of disappointment in her voice? If there was, it was gone quickly. "Bugger! I'm going to be late! Bye, Gin!"

With that she apparated to Hogsmeade and entered the pug she was to meet Fred in.

--- --- ---

As George watched the beginning of the conversation between his sister and Hermione, he backed away from the group and apparated with a -pop- to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, just in time to catch his brother before he left.

"So everything's going as planned?" George questioned his twin.

"Yep. I'm just going to meet Hermione now. She's going to be so surprised. And happy." Fred thought about the brown-haired girl who had come to occupy his mind so much. He was glad he got to be the one to do this for her.

George looked at his brother, noticing him gazing off. He knew what he was thinking about. Fred really cared for Hermione. "Blimey, Fred! You better get going! You're going to be late."

"Right. See you later. Bye!" Fred waved as he walked out of his flat and apparated to the Three Broomsticks and walked in.

--- --- ---

Hermione looked around the crowd, searching for the familiar red hair. She spotted him sitting at a table in the back. As soon as she saw him, he looked up. They stayed like that for about a minute, her standing halfway across the room, him sitting a table, just staring into each others eyes. Chocolate brown meeting a deep blue.

Hermione eventually snapped back to herself and walked over to his table. "Hi Fred," she managed.

Fred stood as she walked over. "Hey, Hermione," he replied, hugging her. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Just been a bit bored at the Burrow, you know? Not a lot to do really," she said.

"Ah. Well, I think I have something that could maybe cheer you up a bit." She looked confused as he beamed. "Come with me."

He led her over to the side of the busy pub, passing many witches and wizards who had stopped in for an after work drink, and some who were just flat out drunk. They stopped at a door. She looked at him, still not sure what they were doing. "Open it," he whispered, though there was clear excitement in his voice.

Hermione's hand reached the knob and turned it. She swung open the door, and her jaw dropped. Her eyes grew wide, and then filled with tears as she ran inside. "Mum! Dad!" she cried, running to her parents and hugging them both at the same time. She gripped them tightly as she sobbed, not thinking about letting go. She didn't want to lose them again.

Fred stood in the doorway watching this all take place. He couldn't even imagine how Hermione was feeling right now. He slowly turned away and walked out. They needed to be alone.

"Fred?" he heard a muffled voice sniff behind him. He turned around to face Hermione. "Thanks."

He smiled at the girl. "It was no problem, Mione. Now go catch up with your parents." He smiled at her again as she nodded and turned her attention back to her mother and father.

--- --- ---

"Mum, Hermione told me to tell you that she…" Ginny began, but her mother held up a hand.

"Don't worry Ginny. I know where Hermione is. No need to make up excuses."

"You know where she is?" the girl questioned. "And you're okay with it?"

Mrs. Weasley nodded, as if it were obvious. "Of course I am! They haven't seen each other in ages! They deserve to see each other!" Her mother exclaimed.

"What are you talking about? They haven't seen each other in a week, tops!" Ginny said, looking confused.

"Ginny dear, I believe you have been misinformed about something. Hermione hasn't seen her parents since before they went missing."

Ginny's eyes bugged out. "Her parents! But I thought she was meeting…," she caught herself in time.

"Thought she was meeting who?"

"No one, just a friend from school," Ginny said as she climbed the stairs to her room.

--- --- ---

Hermione sat down on one of the bed's in the room. "I can't believe you guys are here! You're really here! But what happened, where were you?" Hermione started asking many questions.

"Hermione, dear, please slow down," her mother said gently.

"Sorry, Mum, I'm just excited is all."

"We know, so are we," her father said. "But let's start at the beginning, shall we?" His daughter nodded. "Okay, then. Well, it began a few nights before your last day of school before summer holiday. Your mother and I were lying in bed, sleeping, when we heard a few loud popping noises and a rather large crash. I got up to investigate, and suddenly found myself stunned. I couldn't move at all. I tried to call for your mother, but I was able to see that she too had been stunned. There were about five people in masks, all wearing dark cloaks."

'_Deatheaters'_ Hermione thought to herself.

"I don't remember much after that. We were knocked out. I remember occasionally waking up in a dark dungeon, feeling as though something was poking through my mind, and I had various memories pop randomly into my head, mostly of you growing up." Hermione knew her father was describing Voldemort using legimency on him.

"And with you mum? It was the same?" Hermione questioned.

"Yes, exactly as your father described it."

Before Hermione could say another thing, the door opened. Dumbledore walked into the room, with Snape following behind him. "Hello Miss Granger, and Mr. and Mrs. Granger as well," Dumbledore said.

"Hi Professors. What are you doing here?" Hermione hoped it wasn't bad news they were bringing.

"I am here to inform you that now that Severus has successfully gotten your parents back from were Voldemort was keeping them, they will unfortunately have to go into hiding until the Deatheaters' search for them dies down," the headmaster of Hogwarts explained.

"What? No! They just got back!" Hermione yelled.

"Miss Granger, I assure you, it is for the best. You will still be able to keep correspondence with them. You can give letters to me or Severus, and we will be sure to pass them on to your mother and father."

Hermione looked reluctant to agree. She wanted to spend time with her parents. "If you don't mind me asking professor, why did Voldemort want them in the first place?"

"Well, Hermione, I believe that he was looking for information about you or Harry by using his skills as a legimens. Fortunately, we don't think has found any useful facts." Hermione looked at least a little bit relieved at this news. "Now, I can give you about an hour more with your parents, but then I must take them to their safe house." With that, Dumbledore walked out the door.

Snape made to follow but was stopped by a hand on his arm. He looked down and saw the brown-haired girl looking up at him. "Thank you so much, professor," after she said this, he turned and went to find Dumbledore.


	8. Meetings

_A/N: I'm terribly sorry about the long amounts of time between my updates. Hopefully I will be able to update regularly rather soon. Thanks for all the reviews. Please keep it up._

_I know this chapter is short, but I should have some longer one's coming up shortly._

_--- --- ---_

"Now everyone," Albus Dumbledore began, causing the quiet murmuring that was happening amongst the group of people sitting around a large table at 12 Grimmauld Place to stop, "let's let the meeting begin, shall we? Does anyone have a matter they wish to discuss?"

"Did everything go smoothly with Hermione and her parents?" Remus Lupin asked. He and Hermione had formed a friendship after spending so much time at Sirius' old house for extended amounts of time, and he was often worrying about her.

"Yes, Remus. Severus managed to find where Voldemort was keeping Miss Granger's mother and father, and was able to bring them to us," he explained. "They got to reconcile yesterday, before the Grangers go into hiding," Dumbledore added with a smile, remembering the girl's reaction when she found out her parents were alive and safe. The headmaster noticed Fred Weasley smiling amongst the group of Order members as well.

"Where is Severus?" McGonagall questioned, noting the potions master's absence.

"He was summoned by Voldemort just before the meeting began, but hopefully he will be back tonight." A look of worry passed through many faces around the table.

"Tonks, would you care to share the information you discovered on your recent mission to magical Rome?" Dumbledore asked, changing the subject.

--- --- ---

Voldemort stared down at his followers with anger and venom in his glowering red eyes. "You have all disappointed me," he said, considering which Death Eater he was going to "Crucio" first. "Avery," he decided out loud, "you were hiding the mudblood's parents. Why are the gone?" the Dark Lord questioned.

"I don't know, Master," a man from the circle spoke, trying to hide the fear in his voice. He really didn't know what had happened to the Grangers.

"Are you expecting me to believe that they just disappeared?" Voldemort stared at Avery. "Crucio." The Death Eaters and their master watched as the main writhed on the ground, fighting back screams. Voldemort lifted the curse and turned to his next victim. "Severus."

The man stepped forward, blocking any memories of taking Hermione's parents from Avery's house from his mind. "Yes, Master?"

"Have you heard anything from Dumbledore about the muggles?"

"Yes, Master. The old fool has somehow managed to get a hold of them," Snape said, keeping a cool demeanor.

"Where is he hiding them?"

"I do not know, Master. He has used the Fidilius charm, and he is the secret keeper." Voldemort's eyes flashed with enough anger and malice to scare and tame any Norwegian Ridgeback.

"Crucio."

--- --- ---

Snape walked with a slight limp into the headmaster's office, sitting in the chair by the desk. The Dark Lord had been _very_ upset about Hermione's parents being found for some reason.

"Ah, Severus," Dumbledore greeted the man. "Lemon drop?" The potions master shook his head. "Ah, well. Please tell me about tonight's events."

"Something is very odd, Albus. Voldemort was enraged about Miss Granger's parents. I believe that he was using them to get to the girl." Albus got a grave look in his eye, as Severus continued to replay the events of the meeting.

"What should we do, Sir? She certainly cannot stay at the Burrow any longer." Severus questioned, for although she found the girl an annoying know-it-all, always meddling in other people's business, he definitely didn't want her dead.

"Hermione will have to go into hiding, but with whom? Her parents are staying with Kingsley Shacklebolt, and as much as they would love to be with each other, they can't, for all of their safety, and Remus, Tonks, and you are going back to Rome tomorrow to finish the meeting with potential Order members," Dumbledore continued going through different people Hermione could stay with until he remembered the previous meeting. "She could stay with Fred."

"Fred? Fred Weasley?" The headmaster nodded. "The infamous prankster? Are you sure he's the best candidate?" _'More like "Are you mad!'_ Snape thought to himself.

"Yes, the more I think about it, the better it seems. She will stay with Fred Weasley in his flat above Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Voldemort would not think to look there. There are already protection charms around the building, which would of course, need to be strengthened." Dumbledore's twinkle was back in his eyes as he spoke. He knew Hermione would be upset that she was going into hiding, but he also knew that she would be glad it was with Fred instead one of the older members of the Order which she hardly knew.

"And you are sure this is the best choice, Albus?" Severus still looked uncertain.

"I am positive, Severus. We should floo to Fred's to let him know, then to the Burrow," Dumbledore said as he stood.

Snape remained seated. "Sir, it is five in the morning. I am sure both Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger are sleeping at this time."

"I am quite aware of the time, but there could be an attack at any time. We must be prepared. Come now, Severus, let's get going."

Snape stood and walked over to where the headmaster stood. Dumbledore grabbed a handful of floo powder, walked into the fireplace, and said very clearly, "the Pranking Palace". Severus followed behind.

--- --- ---

Fred awoke to a loud thud, followed by another.

"See! He's sleeping!" he heard someone whisper loudly.

"Sleeping or not, this has to be done!" he heard someone whisper back, more calmly than the first, but still said with enough force that he got the point across.

Fred pulled back his blanket and turned so he was sitting on the edge of his bed. He grabbed he wand and stood slowly. "Who's there?" he called, trying to sound brave, though he was scared. There had been quite a few attacks involving Death Eaters lately.

"See, now you've woken him!" the first voice said.

"I'm warning you!" Fred said again, confidence slowly coming to him as he woke up a bit. The Weasley walked out of his room, looking around cautiously. He jumped back as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

The twin spun around and held his wand at the ready, expecting a duel.

"Oh, stop trying to play the hero, Weasley," a voice drawled as the lights turned on, revealing Snape and Dumbledore.

"Goodness! I thought you guys were Death Eaters!" Fred said as relief rushed over him.

"No, my dear boy, but we do have business we need to discuss," Albus spoke finally.

"Order work?" Fred asked.

Dumbledore nodded. "It's about Miss Granger."


End file.
